Why Is Christmas Celebrated On December 25? Was Jesus Christ Really Born On That Date?

Have we forgotten the true meaning and purpose of Christmas? Because we are too caught up with celebrations, Christmas tree stockings, presents and Santa to delve into what the Christmas story really symbolises?

On this episode of Buzz by the Bay Anushka Jagtiani speaks to Father Joshan Rodrigues, the Chief Editor of The Examiner, the 175-year-old Catholic News Weekly and the official magazine of the Archdiocese of Bombay. He is currently serving at the Saint Joseph's RC Church in Colaba.

The conversation looks beyond commercialisation to unpack why Christmas is about hope, empathy, faith, and God being "with us" (Emmanuel).

Fr. Rodrigues explains why Jesus was born in poverty, and how Christmas represents the impossible becoming possible.

Anushka: Is the true meaning of Christmas lost?

Fr. Rodrigues: Well, in a certain way, yes and no. Christmas is being highly commercialized, and you can see that when you go into the markets with all the decorations and Christmas trees and Santas. And sometimes, unfortunately, I think that becomes the main attraction of Christmas.

Sometimes the true meaning of Christmas does get lost, which is actually about the coming of God on Earth, about the birth of the Savior, but of course, this message is kept alive in churches and communities and families, especially across the Christian community.

Anushka: As you said, it's about God taking human form. Can you elaborate on that?

Fr. Rodrigues: So, the true message of Christmas is actually, God being there for us. The word that is often used at Christmas time, you would hear in churches is Emmanuel, which is the word that the angels give to the child Jesus, Emmanuel means God is with us.

And that, I think, is a message of great hope for everyone, irrespective of which faith you belong to. That irrespective of the circumstances of your life. Whatever the challenges you are facing, God is there with you to help you along the way. So God is not someone who's distant from you, staying in some heaven, far away on some universe, far away.

Anushka: Jesus Christ had a very humble birth in a manger, not a grand birth in a palace. What does that symbolise?

Fr. Rodrigues: It symbolises that God is always with the underdog. The whole story of Christmas talks about Jesus being born in the lowest and simplest of situations. In a manger, in an unhygienic stable among the poorest of conditions, surrounded by animals. And that really is the message that God is with the poorest of the poor. He is with the vulnerable of society, with those who were rejected by society. And so, Christmas, I think, is a reminder for each one of us that we need to look after the least of the least in our society, and no one needs to be forgotten.

Anushka: The Catholic Bible has 73 books and there are four main Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The verse John 3:16 says, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life'. Please explain that verse?

Fr. Rodrigues: That very famous verse, John 3:16 is in a nutshell, the story of Christmas. So why did Jesus come into the world? Because God loved us so much that he sent his only son to save us, because we were condemned to death, so that in order to save us, he had to send his son so that we could be redeemed. So, Jesus was born to die.

Anushka: What symbols or events surrounding Jesus’ birth foreshadow his sacrificial death?

Fr. Rodrigues: One of the gifts that is brought by the wisemen, the Magi is myrrh, which is an ointment which is used at death to embalm bodies before putting them into the tomb.

Anushka: Another interesting topic of discussion is the date of Christmas. Christ wasn't actually born on December 25. There's no historical or biblical evidence of it.

Fr. Rodrigues: What is historical is that Jesus was born. So obviously December 25 is not actually the historical date when Jesus was born. As we mentioned, Jesus was born poverty, and they did not really give birth records in those days as to the dates of when people were born, unless you were born in a palace or among the elite and nobility.

But there was no such record kept of Jesus's birth.

Anushka: So how do we arrive at this date?

Fr. Rodrigues: There are a couple of theories with regard to that. You know, a lot of the common theories that people always say is that it was selected to coincide with the old winter pagan festival called Sol Invictus, which means the unconquerable sun. They would worship the sun god, the sun deity. And it comes at the winter solstice. Therefore, early Christians began celebrating the feast of Christmas on the same day, December 25. As they regarded Jesus as the unconquerable sun.

In Christianity, Jesus is the light of the world. Christians chose that date in order to overcome the pagan deity. And there were a lot of people also converting from paganism to Christianity. So, they kept the feast on the same day so that people could celebrate the birth of Jesus on that day. The other theory is that some of the ancient scholars in the church, figured out or calculated the date of when Jesus was conceived in his mother Mary's womb, And the date arrived at is March 25, which we celebrate even today. December 25 comes exactly nine months after that.

It is not a historical celebration. It's a spiritual celebration.

Anushka: Coming to, being a Christian in India, we are a wonderful multicultural society. Of course, our roots are in Santana Dharma and there is a growing Hindu consciousness in India. How do you perceive that as belonging to a minority community, the Catholic faith?

Fr. Rodrigues: Growing up in India, born and brought up in India, I have always believed that India's strength is plurality. That is something that keeps us very unique in the entire world.

I don't think any country in the world can boast of having that much diversity of culture and religion as we have in India, and that is a real strength which we should not let go of. And I think every Indian should fight for that diversity. Sanatan Dharma is a very, very beautiful concept.

It is actually about universality. It's about eternal truths. It's about eternal consciousness. And I think at the heart of Sanatan Dharma is harmony.

Whether you talk about major religions or minor religions, everyone is searching for God in his or her own way. At the end of the day, God is one.

And I think it is because of Sanatan Dharma in India, that ancient religions have found their place here in India.

Anushka: Do you feel that the harmony of India is being threatened, or do you think that our plural foundation is unshakable?

Fr. Rodrigues: I feel certain forces are trying to threaten that unity and harmony, which should not happen. But I feel through my own common experience that the vast, mass of citizens in India, the common folk, we have always lived together in harmony since forever. Because true spirituality does not fear diversity.

And I like to tell people, no matter which religious tradition we come from, I would always say that I am Indian first and Christian later. Our first identity is more of being Indian. And I think most of India believes in that. There may be a few forces here and there who are trying to disrupt this harmony for selfish interests, but I don't really think they will be successful in the long run.